Ditcher



NV, il@ PALMER ETAL: 125,453,723

DIT-CHER Filed Dee. e, 1946 v y 2 shees-shegt 1 A v A U nm'r H ,1 I y r QL: i HHH im nl when@ Pmimw mmm W., Faim@ www@ R. Smm

NQ la 3943 72. PALMER TAL 2945539723 l DTcHER l Filed DeC. 9, 1946 v 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Inventor Robert Palmer ,John R. Palmer vGeorg@ R. Smit atentecl Nov. 16, 1.948i

UNITED STATI-:s PATENT., OFFICE 4 DITCHER Robert A. Palmer, John R.. Palmer,y andGeorge R. Smit, Parma, Idaho, assignors `to Corrilgator` Co., Parma, Idaho Y Western Application December 9, 1946, SeriaLNo. 714,940

(Cl. 379S) i 4 Claims.

Other and subordinate objects, also compre-` hended by our invention, together with the precise nature of our improvements, and the advantages thereof, will be readily understood when the succeeding description and claims are read with reference to the drawings accompanying and forming part of this specification.

In said drawings:

Figure l is a fragmentary view in side eleva- Figure 5 is a view in perspective of the draw-bar.

Referring to the drawings by numerals, as shown therein, our improved ditcher is especially designed to be attached to the hydraulic power lift mechanism of the Ford-Ferguson tractor oi commerce. This power lift mechanism being well known and understood in the arthas merely been shown generally as sufcient to a proper understanding of'the invention, the numeral I designating the usual pair of power lift side arms pivoted, as at 2, at iront ends thereof to the rear axle housing 3 of the tractor 4 for vertical swinging movement into lowered and elevated positions. The side arms I are swingable by means of a pair oi crank arms, one of which is shown at 5, operatively connected to said side arms I by a pair of links, one being shown at 6. The crank arms 5 are fast on a rock shaft I journaled on the tractor i and hydraulically operative under control of a hand lever l'. The power lift mechanism further includesan overload automatic control comprising a rocker pivoted, as at 9, on the tractor' i and, as at I l), to a plunger II springloaded, as at Ii?, against operation of the rocker and adapted, when thrust endwise by said rocker 6, in opposition to the spring l2, to cause hyv draulic operation of the rock shaft I in a manner to effect raising of the side lift arms I.

Fora detailed disclosure of the power lift mechanism of the Ford-Ferguson" tractor, reference may be had to U. S. Letters Patent No, 2,118,180 to H; G. Ferguson.

According to our invention, in the preferred embodiment thereof, a ditcher unit is provided for attachment to the above described power lift mechanism and embodying a V-shaped plow I3, with rearwardly diverging flat side plates I4 of a substantial height which converge upwardly,

slightly, and form an upwardly and rearwardly inclined straight, iront apex edge I5, said plates rising from a V``shaped undercutting blade I6 j forming a lateral bottom edge flange on the plates inclining slightly outwardly and downwardly, laterally, fromthe same.

A pair of elongated spreader panels I'I incline endwise from therear edges of the plates I4, and which diverge, relatively, from said plates I4 and converge, relatively, upwardly, the angle of `divergence of, said panels I'I being less than the angle of divergence of the plates I4. The spreader panels I1 also taper edgewise from the front ends of the same, which are pivotally connected, asat I8, to the rear edges of the side plates I4.` Further, the spreader panels II incline upwardly and rearwardly and are provided along the bottom edgesthereof with undercutting outturned blades Il. The rear ends of the spreader panels I1 terminate in out-turned, obtuse angled deiiectors I9 extending along said ends. The pivotal connection I8 provides for lateral and verticalv adjustment of the spreader panels I'I on the side plates I4 of the plow I3, for a purpose presentlyY seen.

The described plow I3y and spreader panels I'I are suspended from a draw-bar 2D having reduced ends 2| journaled in the rear ends of the side arms I, a pair of forwardly extending apertured lugs 22` being provided on said draw-bar 20 adjacent said ends 2 I, and a central, upstanding post,23 thereon arising therefrom with a rearwardly inclined, upper, forked end 24 provided4 with apertures 25 therein spaced along the same L in pairs. A link bar 2,6 is pivoted at one end on a selected pair of apertures 25.

A U-shaped yoke 28 with vertically slotted legs` 29 extend crosswise of the plow I3, in upstanding position, with the lugs 22 extending into the Slots of said legs, and the lower ends of said legs bolted, as at 3|, to the side plates I4 adjacent the rear, upper corners of said plates. Bolts 32 extended through the lugs 22 and adapted to be inserted selectively through vertically spaced pairs of apertures 33 in the legs 29 provide forvertically adjusting the yoke 28, and hence the plow I3 and spreader panels I1 on said draw-bar 20, as a unit. A rearwardly extending, central, top guide-head 34 on the yoke 20 is formed with a sleeve 35 thereon slidable vertically on the post 23 and prevents said yoke 28 from tilting on the bolts 32, and consequently the plow I3 and spreader panels II from tilting relative to the draw-bar 20. A bar-like brace 36 extends upwardly and rearwardly from the upper edge of the plow I 3, at the angle formed by the side plates I4, and is suitably connected to the head 34. A panel-supporting bar 3l extends downwardly and rearwardly from the head 34 with a transverse rear end extension 38 intermediate the spreader panels II. The cross extension 38 is bolted at its ends, as at 39, to a pair of angle brackets 40 bolted, as at 4I, to the spreader panels I'I intermediate the ends of said panels. The angle brackets 40 are provided with longitudinally spaced apertures 42 therein for selective insertion of the bolts 39 therein, whereby the spreader panels I'I may be adjusted toward or from each other, laterally, on the pivots I8 to vary the angle of divergence thereof. Similar apertures 43 are provided in the angle brackets 48 forv selective insertion of the bolts 4I therein, whereby the spreader panels II may be adjusted vertically on the pivots i8 to vary the vertical inclination thereof.

Referring now to the operation of the described invention. The described .ditching unit may be lowered to the ground and into the same by lowering of the side arms l of the power lift mechanism, under control of the hand lever 'l'. The V-shaped undercutting blade I6 of the plow I3 acts to pull said plow into the ground, and the blades I1 of the spreader panels I'I function to pull the unit into the ground and maintain the same in ditching position. The V-shaped plow I3lv opens the ditch and the spreader panels II enlarge the same laterally. The deflectors I9 scrape the sides of the ditch and push the earth forwardly to prevent the same from falling into the ditch behind said spreader panels. The spreader panels I 'I may be adjusted vertically on the pivots I8, in the manner described, to increase or decrease the angle of inclination of the blades I"I' as may be required to maintain the unit in ditching position. Also, said spreader panels II may be adjusted laterally on the pivots I8 to vary the width of the ditch as required. The power lift mechanism, it may be explained, is limited in operation as to downward swinging, or lowering, of the side lift arms I. Therefore, provision has been made for vertical unitary adjustment of the ditching unit on the draw-bar 20, in the manner already explained, to vary the depth at which the plow I3 will dig, in the limit of downward swinging or lowering of said side arms l. By adjusting the connection between the link bar 26 andr the forked end 24 of the post 23, in the manner already described, the ditching unit may be pitched downwardly and forwardly as desired, in set position, to cause the same to dig into the ground.

As will be understood, the link bar 2B vforms with the side arms I a parallel link motion whereby the setting' of the ditching unit will not be af- 4 fected by raising and lowering of the same when the unit is swung upwardly or downwardly by said side arms I.

The side arms I, in ditching operations, are under tension, and the link bar 26 under compression, for reasons which will be clear. Therefore, under overload compression against Said link bar 26 arising because of' obstruction to forward travel of the plow- L3 acting to stall the same, the plunger II will be thrust by said link bar 26 endwise to cause hydraulic operation of the side arms I to lift the ditching unit out of the ground, to be again lowered when the obstruction has been passed. By controlling hydraulic operation of the power lift mechanism, through the hand lever l", to swing the side arms I upwardly, the ditching unit may be raised into elevated position, as shown in Figure 1, for carrying.

The foregoing will, it is believed, sufce to impart a clear understanding of our invention, without further explanation,

Manifestly, the invention, as described, is susceptible of modification without departing from the inventive concept, and right is herein reserved to such modications as fall within the scope of the appended claims.

What we claim is:

1. A ditch digging unit for use on a tractor having a pair of vertically swingable power lift side arms, and a vertically swingable compression link `above said arms, said unit comprising a drawbar adapted to be journaled at the ends thereof in said side arms and provided with an upstanding central post adapted to be pivotally connected to said compression link, an upstanding yoke vertically slidable on saidl post into different set positions, a plow fast on the lower ends of said yoke, and a pair of elongated spreader panels pivotally mounted at ends thereof on said plow to extend endwise from opposite sides thereof in divergent relation, the pivotal mounting for said panels providing for swinging adjustment of the panels vertically and laterally, out-turned deflector extensions on the other ends 4of said panels, and means for attaching said panels to said yoke in adjusted positions thereof.

2. A ditch digging unit for use on a tractor having a pair of vertically swingable power lift side arms, and a vertically swingable compression link above said arms, said unit comprising a draw-bar adapted to be journaled at the ends thereof in said side arms and provided with an upstanding central post adapted to be pivotally connected to Ysaid compression link, an upstanding yoke vertically slidable on said post into different set positions, a plow fast 'on the lower ends of said yoke, and a pair vof elongated spreader panels pivotally mounted at ends thereof on said plow to extend endwise from opposite sides thereof in divergent relation, the pivotal mounting for said panels providing for swinging adjustment of the panels vertically and laterally, out-turned deector extensions on the otherends of said panels, and means for attaching said panels to said yoke in adjusted positions thereof, said plow being V-shaped in cross-section with straight side walls diverging rearwardly from a vertical cutting edge slanting rearwardly, and a V-shaped undercutting blade extending along the lower edges of said blades and inclinng laterally downwardly therefrom.

3. A ditch digging unit for use on a tractor having a pair of vertically swingable power lift side arms, anda vertically swingable compression linkabovesaid arms, saidv unit comprising a drawbar adapted to be j ournaled at the ends thereof in said side arms and provided with an upstanding central post adapted to be pivotally connected to said compression link, an upstanding yoke vertically slidable on said post into different set positions, a plow fast on the lower ends of said yoke, and a pair of elongated spreader panels pivotally mounted at ends thereof on said plow to extend endwise from opposite sides thereof n divergent relation, the pivotal mounting for said panels providing for swinging adjustment of the panels vertically and laterally, out-turned deflector extensions on the other ends of said panels, and means for attaching said panels to said yoke in adjusted positions thereof, said panels having undercutting bottom edge blades extending longitudinally thereof on outer sides of the same.

4. A ditch digging unit for use on a tractor having a pair of vertically swingable power lift side arms, land a. vertically swingable compression link above said arms, said unit compri-sing a draw-bar adapted to be journaled at the ends thereof in said side arms and providing with an upstanding central post adapted to be pivotally connected to said compression link, an upstanding yoke vertically slidable on said post into different set positions, a: plow fast on the lower ends of said yoke, and a lpair of elongated spreader panels pivotally mounted at ends thereof on said plow to extend endwise from opposite sides thereof in divergent relation, the pivotal mounting for said panels providing for swinging adjustment of the panels vertically and laterally, out-turned deector extensions on the other ends of said panels, and means for attaching said panels to said yoke in adjusted positions thereof, said means comprising a bar on said yoke having an end cross extension and bracket connections between said cross extension and said panels adjustable relative to said extension and on said panels respectively.

ROBERT A. PALMER. JOHN R. PALMER. GEORGE R. SMIT.

No references cited. 

